I Was Worried
by GleeGeneration23
Summary: Based off the line in Season 2 Episode 1-When Carson comes to tell Cora that Miss Sybbie is in the kitchen it forces Cora to readdress her relationship with her daughter and granddaughter-Cora/Sybbie grandma/granddaughter fluff-First Downton Fic please read and review


**Hello Everyone this is my first Downton Abbey Fic! **

**I chose the subject of Cora and Sybbie because I think there has been little exploration of them bonding on the show-I was inspired from an episode from Season 2 and I think baking with her children is something Cora would have done-I think she was a hands on aristocrat mother as all her children seem quite close to her. I also wrote a small Violet/Sybbie bonding scene because I also think Violet was quite close to Sybbie and seems to have more of a bond with her over the other grandchildren,**

**Disclaimer-I own nothing **

**Please let me know how this was x **

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><p><span>I Was Worried<span>

When Carson comes to tell Cora, Miss Sybbie is in the kitchen it forces Cora to reassess her relationship with her granddaughter-Grandma/Granddaughter fluff.

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><p>It's a nice calm autumn day-the nights just starting to get cold when Cora sits in the drawing room her book in her lap feeling old. Robert is with George attempting to educate his sixteen year old grandson about the estate with Tom and Mary while Edith and Marigold are in London visiting Rose and Atticus and their three grown boys. So it's really just her and Sybbie in the big house-unless you count the servants.<p>

It's then when Carson comes in.

His face has crinkled over the years but he's still the same Carson and his look of disapproval ever the same. "What's happened?" she asks before he opens his mouth. Cora is well practised in Carson's looks of disapproval and she knows this one. This one is about Sybbie.

Sybbie Branson is what Cora personally calls a headache and a hurricane all rolled into one. Her granddaughter is a mess of brown hair and brown eyes and muddy boots and a frank way of speaking that has caused many a man to be embarrassed. But Cora knows that a part of Sybbie still grieves Violet who after an impressive life had passed peacefully a few months ago. Violet and Sybbie had been close, being two indomitable women who the world wasn't ready for. Violet had adored Sybbie in her own way and during the last few months it was Sybbie who moved in the Dowager house to live and nurse Violet. Since the death of her mentor her granddaughter has become even more impulsive and dangerous than before spending most of her time in the Grantham Arms, drinking, dancing, smoking and gambling and God only knows what else with some man called Liam who Sybbie loves and Cora is convinced is a bad influence.

In truth it hurts Cora that Sybbie is closer to Violet and her grandmother in Ireland but Cora isn't sure she can cope with the whirlwind that is her eldest grandchild, when she didn't even see what was happening all those years ago with her mother.

Carson sighs as if he understands Cora's mental state "Miss Sybbie is in the kitchen" he says finally and Cora sighs and stands fully prepared to chase her granddaughter out of the kitchen so the servants can do their work.

When she gets downstairs she spies Mrs Patmore and that girl-Daisy she thinks watching something in the kitchen and she hears a laugh rise. Sybbie's laugh-Sybil's laugh. Mrs Hughes it watching from the doorway clearly annoyed that Carson has given Sybbie away but remains silent.

And then she gets a good view of the kitchen and she stops short. Sybbie is in their stirring something with a most determined expression, her hair is scraped into what they call 'pony-tails' or something but strands of it are falling out and framing her face with its pale skin and high cheekbones and her clothes are covered in flour and Cora can't even remember the last time she saw her smile like that-Sybil's smile.

For a moment Cora is stuck in another memory where she watched her daughter give that same smile to a pot of something and take a great amount of pleasure in doing something ordinary and it strikes her how close Sybbie and Sybil are.

"She's making a cake for what I believe to be a surprise for Mr Branson" Mrs Hughes supplies and Cora smiles to herself knowing how touched Tom will be when he finds out.

Sybbie lets out a loud giggle and spins on the spot taking a kitchen made with her utterly delighted that she's done something apparently right and Cora can see a look cross Mrs Patmore's face as she remembers as Cora remembers how another young woman was utterly delighted once at something she had done right as Cora stood at the exact same window watching with that same baited breath.

"I was worried you know" she says her tone utterly informal for once in her life and Mrs Hughes smiles as if to say that she's been worried as well. "You want us to continue this behaviour?" Carson asks as if by rote and Cora nods "Yes" she says smiling "And let this and anything else she does down here be a surprise"

Carson makes a noise as if to reply but Mrs Hughes shoots him a look and he falls silent and Cora steps into the kitchen.

The kitchen predictably falls silent. Sybbie looks up her triumphant gaze falling to one of utmost defiance her jaw setting, reading herself for a fight she thinks she is going to get.

"What are you making" Cora says conversationally and Sybbie blinks "A cake" she says slowly and at Cora's smile she continues "It's one of those chocolate, buttercream ones Da likes and Mrs Patmore thinks I should cut it into a four leaf clover"

Cora smiles again "Of course you should" she says, she mulls over what she's about to say next "Would you like some help" she's says carefully and Sybbie drops the spoon onto the table with a clatter her eyes widening with shock.

"Do you know how?" she asks her tone surprised and Cora laughed "I raised three children" she reminds gently "I know how to cook" she pauses Sybbie is testy about her mother on the best of days but she carries on anyway "I used to bring your mother down here and we'd bake biscuits when she was a little girl"

She blinks refusing to be overcome by emotion but when she looks up Sybbie's face has softened measurably "Sure" she says finally shrugging "You can do the icing" Cora nods taking an apron from one of the maids and smiling at the shocked expression on Mr Carson's face "I can do the icing" she says grinning like she was young again "And while I do this how about you tell me all about what you and Liam are up to?" Sybbie snorts before her mouth twists into a smile-Sybil's smile.

Cora will count this a small victory, of course when she tells Robert later he'll roll his eyes but Cora knows her husband well-if he admitted to having favourites Sybbie would be the one and his face will crease into a smile at the look on Tom's face later and he'll grip Cora's hand under the table.

For now however Cora just focuses on her smiling granddaughter and ignores everything else. Nothing is more important.

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><p><span><strong>Let me know how it was please x<strong>


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